A NEWSLETTER OF THE
POLICE EXECUTIVE RESEARCH FORUM
Vol. 23, No. 2 | February 2009
INAUGURATION DAY 2009
Leadership, Security, and Logistics:
Challenges for Police Chiefs
By Chuck Wexler
Over the years I’ve noticed that one of the
challenges of being a police chief is that chiefs must always focus on
“the big picture,” but never forget to keep an eye on the little details
that can quickly turn into problems if they aren’t handled well. I saw
this phenomenon on Inauguration Day.
First, a little background: PERF has been studying the ways in
which the U.S. Secret Service works with local police agencies on big
events, which are called National Special Security Events (NSSE).
Of course, Inauguration Day 2009 was about the biggest NSSE that
could be imagined, especially given the predictions, which turned
out to be accurate, that the swearing-in of President Obama would
attract a bigger crowd than any previous Inauguration.
So PERF worked closely with the leaders of a few of the major
law enforcement agencies involved in the Inauguration to capture
their work on January 20. The team of PERF staffers included Jerry
Murphy, who worked with the U.S. Park Police, which was responsible for the Mall area where most of the estimated 1.8 million people in attendance gathered. Rebecca Neuburger was embedded with
the Minneapolis Police Department, which helped the Washington,
D.C. Metropolitan Police Department with the Parade route. And
>> continued on page 2
A Note on PERF’s Inauguration Coverage
This issue of Subject to Debate describes several
aspects of the law enforcement role in ensuring the
peaceful Inauguration of President Obama on January
20. Books could be written on this subject. Dozens of
federal agencies, with support from scores of local
police departments, collaborated on providing security
for the Inauguration, the Inaugural Parade, and many
related events, and the task of coordinating all of those
agencies’ operations was monumental. PERF’s coverage
is by no means comprehensive; this issue of Subject
to Debate merely provides a few snapshots of police
activities from several angles.
PERF would like to acknowledge the enormous
contributions made by all of the agencies, including
the Secret Service, Washington’s Metropolitan Police
Department, the U.S. Capitol Police, the U.S. Park
Police, the FBI, and the many local, county, and state
police departments and other agencies that helped
make the Inauguration a safe and peaceful event.
representative and a number of other officials from the Capitol
Police and other agencies. Chief Morse kindly allowed me to sit
directly behind him in the Command Center and shadow him
Bill Tegeler and I covered the U.S. Capitol Police, which was rethroughout this historic morning.
sponsible for the area surrounding the Capitol Building, including
I noticed that Morse and Nichols worked very closely tothe stage where the new President and Vice-President took their
gether.
They had a clear division of labor. Assistant Chief Nichols
oaths of office. All of these agencies and many more worked under
was
the
incident commander, on the radio talking with the multhe U.S. Secret Service.
titude
of
units in the field. (See Bill Tegeler’s account on page 4 of
We all were given an amazing degree of access to key locathis
issue
for a detailed account of the Assistant Chief ’s activities.)
tions and police officials who helped to make the Inauguration the
Chief
Morse
was more like the trouble-shooter, looking at the big
success that it was. With the exception of some significant logistipicture
and
how
the pieces were fitting together.
cal challenges, in particular a crowd control problem that resulted
Shortly
after
6:00 a.m., I heard Nichols say that the U.S.
in many people with coveted tickets being unable to reach their
Park
Police
had
just
closed the Mall between 4th and 7th Streets,
seats, Inauguration Day, thankfully, went very smoothly.
because
the
crowd
at
the Mall had already gotten pretty large.
For my part, I’d like to thank the people at the U.S. Capitol
What
happened
then
was
a cascading series of events that resulted
Police and the U.S. Senate Office of the Sergeant at Arms for their
in
people
streaming
down
Independence Avenue, the main eastwillingness to accommodate PERF and allow us into their inner
west
boulevard
that
leads
to
the south side of the Capitol.
sanctum—no small matter on a
At 6:37 a.m., Dan said,
day when there was an extremely
“We
just lost Independence
high sensitivity to security issues
Avenue”—meaning
that pedesall across the capital city. In additrians
had
taken
over
the street.
tion to giving Bill Tegeler and me
This
caused
quite
a
bit
of conaccess on Inauguration Day, they
sternation
in
the
Command
spent time with us on the days
Center. Like most of the streets
running up to the Inauguration.
anywhere near the Capitol or the
I also would like to thank
White House, Independence AvMPD Chief Cathy Lanier for
enue was closed to general traffic
spending considerable time
on Inauguration Day. However,
with me before Inauguration
the avenue was being used as a
Day discussing the challenges in
main artery to the Capitol Buildplanning for this extraordinary
ing for Inaugural support and
NSSE.
Securing the Inaugural Parade route began before sunrise on January 20.
operations vehicles, as well as the
Thanks also to Deputy PHOTOS BY REBECCA NEUBURGER
route for members of Congress
Chief Bill Lynch of the U.S. Park
to reach the Inauguration.
Police for allowing PERF to trail
Reports
start
coming
in
that
a number of vehicles on Inhim and capture his activities on Inauguration Day.
dependence
Avenue
could
not
move;
they were trapped by the
Following is an account of my experiences on Inauguration
thousands
of
pedestrians
who
had
taken
over the street.
Day:
At about 6:45 a.m., Chief Morse took off his headset and
said, “Come on. We need to go rescue these folks.”
rom the moment I opened my eyes on In­
So we headed out in the Chief ’s car, and as we made the turn
auguration Day, it was not a typical workday; for one thing,
onto
Independence, we encountered thousands of people movI woke up on the couch in my office at PERF headquarters.
ing
right
at us toward the Capitol. Even in a police car, we could
(For months leading up to Inauguration Day, officials had been
hardly
move.
warning of possibly nightmarish travel conditions for anyone trySo the chief jumped out and we walked through the crowd
ing to get into downtown Washington, so several of us spent the
and
began
to see a lot of cars with placards identifying them as
night of January 19 at PERF’s offices.)
authorized
and
needed at the Capitol. The chief stopped at each
I left PERF at 5:30 a.m. and walked across the street to our
car
and
reassured
the drivers. As we moved through the crowd, I
Metro subway system, and found that even at that hour—more
counted
about
40
cars that were trapped in the throngs of people.
than six hours before the Inauguration was to happen—the trains
The
chief
then
assembled the officers in the area and mewere already pretty well packed with passengers. But the trains
thodically
went
about
getting each car to inch forward, bumperwere moving, and 15 minutes later I exited at Union Station, and
to-bumper
with
the
car
ahead, gently asking pedestrians to move
first encountered the hordes of people making their way to the
to
one
side
or
the
other,
and then telling the drivers to be patient.
Inauguration site on the west side of the Capitol Building.
(Fortunately,
the
mood
of the crowd on Inauguration Day was
Shortly before 6 a.m., I met Bill Tegeler at the U.S. Capitol
generally
friendly
and
orderly,
so no one started climbing over the
Police headquarters and we went to the Command Center. Chief
cars.)
After
about
30
minutes,
Chief Morse had the 40 cars asPhil Morse, a 24-year veteran of the force, was already there, front
sembled
in
a
tight
line.
The
chief
and his officers then went to
and center on the inner perimeter. Next to him was Assistant Chief
>> from Challenges for Police Chiefs on page 1
F
Dan Nichols, and seated next to him were the top Secret Service
2
Subject to Debate February 2009
>> continued on page 6
U.S. Park Police:
Policing America’s Backyard
By Jerry Murphy
It was cold and it was crowded, but on Jan­
uary 20, 2009, Deputy Chief Bill Lynch of the U.S. Park Police had
the patience of Job. Literally hundreds, if not thousands, of people
stopped him to ask questions, to get directions, or to summon help
for the sick or injured as he made his way around the National
Mall. In every instance, he provided an answer, gave directions, and
otherwise good-naturedly responded to the request.
The U.S. Park Police is a federal agency, but it really resembles
a city or county police department in structure and mission, and
probably has as much experience as any law enforcement agency
in the country in managing crowds. After spending 12 hours with
Bill Lynch on January 20, I walked away (no one drove that day)
impressed by the performance of the U.S. Park Police and its ability
to manage large crowds.
In fact, large isn’t an adequate word to describe the gathering
that day. “Historic” is the better term, because never before had
so many people gathered on the Mall—“America’s Backyard.” The
D.C. government estimated that 1.8 million people gathered to
witness President Barack Obama’s Inauguration. The overwhelming majority of them were neither dignitaries nor invited guests
with access to the grounds of the U.S. Capitol. They were ordinary
folks who gathered on the open spaces of the Mall, beginning at 4th
Street west to the Washington Monument and on to the Lincoln
Memorial—a distance of almost 2 miles.
The massive crowds were orderly and festive. Before dawn
they streamed onto the Mall moving eastward, with the earliest arrivals getting as close to the Capitol as possible. As each “panel” of
the Mall filled with spectators from east to west, the Park Police
cordoned it off with bicycle rack barriers and directed visitors to
the next panel. At 9:30 a.m. we went to the top of the Washington
Monument to observe the crowds. From an altitude of 500 feet we
watched Park Police officers direct rivers of people west down Independence Avenue and north along cross streets until each successive
panel was filled, creating a vast sea of celebrants.
About every tenth of a mile, from the Capitol to the Lincoln
Memorial, was a Jumbotron with speakers (which afforded surprisingly good picture quality and sound), allowing the crowds to see
and hear the Inauguration ceremony.
As people waited for hours for the Inauguration to begin, a
tape of the “We Are One” Inaugural Celebration that had been held
RIGHT: Members of the Minnesota State Patrol on the Inaugural Parade route
at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday, January 18, featuring many
performers such as Beyonce, Stevie Wonder, and Bruce Springsteen, was re-broadcast over the Jumbotrons. This kept the crowds
occupied and entertained.
By the time President Obama finished his Inaugural address
around 12:30 p.m., much of the crowd had been out in the cold
(the wind chill was in the teens) for at least six or seven hours. As
soon as he said “God Bless America,” many in the crowd began to
exit the Mall. Because all access to the north was blocked by fencing
and barriers (to keep the Mall crowd from infringing on the parade
route), the crowd was forced to exit the mall to the south, using the
small number of cross streets that bisect the mall.
This exodus created the day’s most frightening moments that
I witnessed. The result was human gridlock, with different people
wanting to go south, east, or west at the same time. I stood in one
spot for almost five minutes. While my feet moved, I didn’t make
any headway, and I was literally turned in circles. My group of four
became separated at one point, not because we wandered off in different directions but because we had no choice but to move with
the flow of the crowd. Finally, we found refuge against a Park Police
truck (see top left photo). This mass exiting could have led to trampling if it weren’t for the good nature of those in attendance.
One of the amazing outcomes of the day was that neither
the Park Police—nor any other law enforcement agency—made
any arrests. The day was not without its glitches, however. In most
circumstances, the problems occurred outside the geographic area
of responsibility of the Park Police, but the Park Police had to deal
with the consequences. For a variety of reasons several streets were
closed, which resulted in people with tickets to the Capitol lawn
finding themselves wandering in circles looking for access points
to the Capitol grounds. After the Inauguration was over, the exiting crowd quickly filled Metro subway stations, so to prevent
overcrowding or even trampling, officials temporarily closed certain stations, forcing people to walk much further than they had
planned. Many people became separated from their groups. For
local residents, this was generally a less significant problem, but for
out-of-town visitors who didn’t know their way around Washington, this caused tears and panic for some. Too many people didn’t
dress properly for the bitter cold, and a good number needed medical attention as a result.
Seemingly every one of these people who was lost, separated,
or in need of medical attention approached Deputy Chief Bill Lynch
seeking help and directions, and he tirelessly obliged them.
Jerry Murphy is PERF’s Director of Homeland Security and Development.
February 2009 Subject to Debate
3
U.S. Capitol Police:
Ensuring the Peaceful Transition of Power
By Bill Tegeler
Police; Amtrak Police; the Washington, D.C. Fire Department; and
The United States Capitol Police (USCP) was
many others.
created by Congress in 1828 in order to provide security in the
Potential threats and issues discussed at the TTX included
Capitol Building, following an assault on John Quincy Adams’ son
bomb threats and suspicious packages; Vehicle-Borne Improvised
in the Capitol Rotunda. Today the USCP has exclusive jurisdiction
Explosive Devices (VBIEDs, or “car bombs”); hazardous materiwithin the Capitol buildings and concurrent authority with fellow
als and crowd evacuation; fire-fighting capabilities; and a medical
police agencies in an area of approximately 200 blocks around the
emergency event.
Capitol.
In final preparation for the event, a full Inauguration rehearsal
The Capitol Police plays a unique role in our nation’s law
was conducted at the Capitol on January 18 to test plans, the timenforcement community. Like a municipal police department, the
ing of events, and protocol. The following night, 15 hours before
1,700 sworn and 350 civilian members of the USCP provide basic
policing services for Congressional buildings, parks, and thoroughPresident-Elect Obama would be sworn in, Capitol Police Chief
fares. Like the FBI, although
Phillip Morse and Metropolinot to the same extent, the
tan Police Chief Cathy Lanier
Capitol Police play an active
met one last time to review
role in the collection and
their operational plans and
analysis of, and response to,
coordinate the activities of
criminal information and
the men and women of their
terrorist threats, in order to
departments.
protect the U.S. government
The USCP Command
and its citizens. Like the U.S.
Center opened at approxiSecret Service, the USCP
mately 5:00 a.m. on Inauprovides protection to govguration Day. Inside the
ernment officials—in the case
center were representatives
of USCP, to the members of
from many agencies, watchCongress and their families.
ing large video screens that
In order to accomplish these
showed interior and exterior
various tasks, the USCP
views from security cameras
works in partnership with
throughout the Capitol.
many other federal, state and
Following is a timeline
Preparations at the Inauguration rehearsal on January 18
local agencies.
of what I heard and saw at the
The distinctive mission
Command Center. This partial
of the United States Capitol Police is never more evident than durlist of reports that came in to the Command Center is intended to
ing the time leading up to a Presidential Inauguration. As USCP
provide an idea of the variety of issues and tasks that can come up
Assistant Chief Dan Nichols said, “It is important for the world
during a major event. Not all of the reports had detailed informato see the peaceful transition of the democratic government of the
tion or even correct information, but they all needed to be checked
United States of America.”
out and handled.
In preparation for what was correctly anticipated to be the
6:15 a.m. – The Park Police report that the Mall is already
most highly attended Presidential Inauguration ever, the USCP
filled to capacity in the general viewing area from 4th Street to 7th
hosted a Table Top Exercise (TTX) on January 8. The TTX began
Street.
with all of the participating agencies identifying their core mission
6:22 a.m. – Members of Congress begin to arrive, but reports
or operational focus, their assets and resources that would be decome
in that some are having problems gaining admittance into
ployed, and the location and hours of their command posts. This
secured
areas.
information helped everyone to understand and delineate the lines
of responsibilities for each agency.
6:30 a.m. – Heavy crowds prevent TSA screeners from getAgencies participating in this training exercise included the
ting to the “Silver Ticket” entry point as scheduled.
USCP; the U.S. Secret Service; the FBI; the Washington, D.C.
6:35 a.m. – Pedestrians trying to get a good vantage point
Metropolitan Police Department (MPD); the U.S. Park Police; the
take
over
Independence Avenue between 4th and 7th Streets.
U.S. Marshals Service; the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and
6:45 a.m. – A report comes in of some type of “event” occurCoast Guard; the Department of Defense Joint Force Headquarring at the Smithsonian. Details are not available, but the report is
ters, National Capital Region; the Federal Aviation Administration;
the Transportation Security Administration; FEMA; Metro Transit
investigated.
4
Subject to Debate February 2009
7:12 a.m. – Marine One lands in the East Zone of the
Capitol, to serve later when President Bush leaves following the
Inauguration.
7:15 a.m. – A report of a fatal traffic accident on Route 66 in
Virginia comes in.
7:55 a.m. – Electrical power is lost at half of the metal detectors at the Blue ticket-holder gate; the Architect of the Capitol
responds to investigate.
7:58 a.m. – Independence Avenue and 14th Street are shut
down due to pedestrians, creating further complications for members of Congress trying to drive to the Capitol.
8:08 a.m. – The Mall is reported to be filled to capacity all the
way to 12th Street.
8:36 a.m. – The Architect of the Capitol is unable to fix the
electrical generator problem at the Blue gate, so a replacement generator that was prestaged at a nearby location is sent to the area.
8:50 a.m. – Armed federal marshals are reported to be denied
entry into the Capitol area because they lack special credentials to
be carrying weapons into the secured zone.
9:02 a.m. – A report comes in of “mass casualties” at Lafayette Park, across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House. The
report proves to be false.
9:06 a.m. – A report of sick people getting off the escalator
at the Farragut North Metro station, near the White House, proves
to be false.
9:35 a.m. – A report comes in of a woman being struck by a
train at the Gallery Place Metro Station. Fortunately, the woman is
not seriously injured, and the Metro line is quickly put back into
service.
9:57 a.m. – Nextel and Sprint frequencies appear to be
jammed, making some communications difficult.
10:10 a.m. – Secret Service reports a suspicious package sitting on the Inauguration platform. The package is found not to be
a threat.
10:50 a.m. – The Presidential motorcade leaves the White
House for the Capitol.
11:00 a.m. – President Bush and President-Elect Obama arrive at the Capitol as scheduled, and are welcomed by Senate Sergeant at Arms Terry Gainer, who escorts them into the building.
11:12 a.m. – The Northwest Drive area of the Capitol complex is reported to be overwhelmed. Motors are dispatched to help
with crowd control.
11:16 a.m. – Former Presidents begin to be seated on the
viewing platform.
11:43 a.m. – President-Elect Obama enters onto the Inauguration platform, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein shortly thereafter
begins the ceremony.
11:58 a.m. – Joseph R. Biden, Jr. is sworn in as Vice
President.
12:00 noon – As the ceremonies are conducted, the Command Center continues its work. Assistant Chief Nichols advises
officers to pat down spectators at the Blue ticket gate and to continue to allow ticket holders entry. As Yo-Yo Ma plays his cello,
officers are asking for assistance and permission to open gates to
relieve pressure from the crowds attempting to view the Inauguration. Secret Service personnel at those locations are instructed by
the Assistant Chief to continue screening those coming through
the gates. USCP officers are told to “give very clear instructions to
the crowd.”
12:05 p.m. – Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th President of the United States.
12:07 p.m. – Instructions are given to break down all gates to
allow reverse crowd flow, and personnel working the magnetometer
stations may clear.
1:33 p.m. – Following the President’s Inaugural address, officers are redeployed from Constitution Avenue to 3rd Street and are
directed to secure the east side of the Capitol for the departure of
“POTUS”’ (President Of The United States), as President Obama
is now called.
2:00 p.m. – The Command Center announces the following
statistics: From 3:00 a.m. January 19 to noon on January 20, 60
medical emergencies were handled with no deaths. As of 2:00 p.m.,
the Metro system has accommodated 632,000 passengers.
2:12 p.m. – The Command Center receives a report that several pedestrians have been hit by a vehicle on the 14th Street bridge
that links Washington, D.C. and Virginia.
2:20 p.m. – A bomb threat is received at the 911 center. The
threat is found to be a hoax.
2:35 p.m. – During the luncheon in Statuary Hall, Command Center personnel respond to a Senator’s illness and work on
deconflicting the President’s planned movements with the medical
response.
3:15 p.m. – Assistant Chief Nichols issues a radio advisory to
prepare for the President’s departure.
3:24 p.m. – President Obama and the First Lady enter the
Presidential limousine to leave the Capitol. Eleven minutes later,
the Presidential motorcade enters onto Constitution Avenue.
3:41 p.m. – The Command Center contacts the Washington,
D.C. Metropolitan Police Department’s Joint Operations Center
to advise them that a large group of friendly pedestrians are following the Presidential car along the sidewalk and may soon run into
the barrier on Pennsylvania Avenue.
3:35 p.m. – The Presidential caravan enters onto Pennsylvania Avenue and approaches 7th Street, the boundary at which
the Metropolitan Police Department assumes control of the event.
At 6th Street, the President’s car stops, and the President and First
Lady get out and begin to walk the parade route. All in the Command Center watch and wait until the First Couple passes 7th
Street.
4:09 p.m. – Assistant Chief Nichols declares the Command
Center shut down and thanks everyone, to spontaneous applause.
Bill Tegeler is PERF’s Deputy Director of Management Services.
February 2009 Subject to Debate
5
>> from Challenges for Police Chiefs on page 2
the front of the line and opened up the crowd, directing the cars
through the crowd to the Capitol.
By about 7:30, all of the cars had been freed, and the chief
returned to his car and headed back to the Command Center. In
the car, he told me, “You can’t always do this from the Command
Center. Sometimes you just have to go out there, figure it out, and
get people moving.”
It was impressive. Here was the chief of police taking charge
personally on a problem that cropped up unexpectedly, as everyone
else was consumed with their predetermined assignments.
We weren’t in the Command Center for more than a few
minutes when the chief again decided he needed to go out, because
a crowd of people was pushing up against a fence. So we drove to
an area near the Capitol Reflecting Pool, and there were thousands
of people up against the fence, with open space on the other side. I
watched as the chief quietly reassured the people that this was about
as far as they could go and that
he appreciated their patience.
He also reassured his officers.
Many who were present
on Inauguration Day commented that it was a good thing
that the mood of the crowd was
peaceful, because in many areas
people were packed together so
tightly that even a minor incident could have resulted in a
stampede. I noticed that as the
crowd pushed up against one
another and the fence, the fact
that the chief was there, calming everyone, seemed to reduce the overall tension.
Chief Morse and I got back in the car and went to each of the
posts surrounding the Capitol, and the chief spoke to his officers at
each post. And then we went into the Capitol and the chief looked
at the Inaugural stage, where one of the most historic Presidential
inaugurations would happen within the hour.
By about 11:15 a.m., we were back at the Command Center,
and the chief picked up his headset and looked at the monitors
in front of him as dignitaries took their seats. By 12:05 p.m., the
new leader of the free world had taken the oath of office. That was
the end of Phase 1 for the U.S. Capitol Police. The next phase
was the departure of Former President Bush by helicopter. And finally, Phase 3 involved President Obama leaving the Capitol by
motorcade.
A
few comments on what I saw:
Police agencies now have sophisticated Command
Centers to coordinate the work of multiple agencies involved in these events. And we have a great deal of technology that
is able to transmit images of what is happening on the street.
Yet with all of these advances in technology, what I saw on
Inauguration Day was that chiefs still need an intangible, instinctive capacity to understand that there are times when personal
leadership is needed. Sometimes the television monitors at a
6
Subject to Debate February 2009
Command Center do not accurately reflect what is happening on the
street. I saw this last summer in Minneapolis at the Republican National Convention, where the images of protesters on the television
screens at the Command Center sometimes appeared more threatening than what was actually happening on the ground. Sometimes
there is no substitute for actually “being there” to capture the mood
of a situation. Other times, a Command Center may show a problem
unfolding, but no one on the ground can see the big picture and
know what to do. Police chiefs need to straddle a lot of different
roles. That includes assessing the overall situation as well as the
details, and knowing when it’s time to step up and lead without
delay.
In the post-9/11 world, we have become preoccupied with
security—for good reasons. Today, security at a Presidential Inauguration means guarding not only against snipers, but also against dirty
bombs, Mumbai-like attacks, subway bombings, car bombs, IEDs,
and other threats. And the historical nature of the 2009 Inauguration, with America’s first African-American President, brought an
even stronger sense that everyone needed to be concerned
primarily with security. We also
need to acknowledge that an
NSSE of this magnitude—with
58 federal, state and local agencies working to provide security,
using more than a dozen command centers—presents huge
organizational challenges.
There is an inherent
trade-off between security and
logistical issues—in particular,
managing the ability of people
to move around as they wish,
or in some cases as they need to do. Security inherently involves
things like funneling people through checkpoints, which can result
in delays and inconvenience even if all the plans and systems work
perfectly, which they rarely do.
We need to think more about the logistical aspects of
NSSEs—not at the expense of security, but in addition to security.
For thousands of people who spent Inauguration Day waiting in
line in a tunnel rather than watching the proceedings, the day was
disappointing. Many of these people had traveled great distances to
be in Washington and attend the Inauguration, and I can appreciate how frustrating this day was for them. One of the challenges for
law enforcement will be finding ways to ensure that logistical
problems at big events, to the greatest extent possible, will be anticipated, planned for, and managed—and that police are wellpositioned to respond quickly and effectively to unanticipated problems as well.
At the same time, we should not forget that most of the 38
million people who watched the 2009 Inauguration on television
probably thought the entire day went perfectly, or pretty close to
perfectly. And in fact, many aspects of the day did go remarkably
well. Approximately 1.8 million people—a record number for an
Inauguration—were able to attend; no one was seriously injured;
and the Inauguration, the Parade, and related events took place
without any disruptions.
Plan to Attend PERF’s
Annual Meeting
TENTATIVE AGENDA:
When: March 26–28, 2009
Obama Administration Officials Tell Us:
Where:Ritz-Carlton Washington Hotel
Washington, D.C.
• The Changes that Police Chiefs Can Expect—on Policies,
Issues, and Funding
• The Latest Details About the Stimulus Bill—Grant
Opportunities, Procedures, Deadlines, and More
What I Have Learned About Policing and Handling Crises
By Prof. George Kelling of Rutgers University,
Co-Developer of the “Broken Windows” Theory
Mention PERF to obtain special hotel rate of $225
when you call 800-421-3333. Online registration
for the meeting and the hotel available at www.
policeforum.org.
DNA and Other Forensic Issues
The Economic Crisis
• What Police Departments Are Experiencing with Budget Cuts
and What They Are Doing About It
• The Need for Strategic Planning to Minimize Damage to Your
Department
• Existing Backlogs, and the Impact of New Laws Requiring
Arrestee Testing
• The Critical New Report on Forensic Sciences from the
National Academy of Sciences
• The Controversy Over DNA Testing of Officers
• Pensions, Unions, Mergers of Police Departments, and Other
Issues
• New DNA Testing Equipment
• The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s
Comprehensive, Proactive Approach to Managing the Crisis
Revitalizing CompStat: How Did Yesterday’s Hot New
Innovation Become Routine and Humdrum?
• New Crime Patterns Stemming from the Economic Downturn
• How to Find Sources of Private Funding
PERF’s Town Hall Meeting
Police Technology Issues: Getting the Most for Your
Money Is Imperative
Reception honoring 2009 winners of PERF’s Gary P.
Hayes Award and Leadership Award
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President
John F. Timoney | Chief, Miami
Police Department
VICE PRESIDENT
Charlie T. Deane | Chief, Prince
William County, Va., Police Department
Treasurer
William M. Lansdowne | Chief,
At-Large members
Edward Flynn | Chief, Milwaukee
San Diego Police Department
Police Department
Secretary
Rick Myers | Chief, Colorado Springs
Charles Ramsey | Commissioner,
Philadelphia Police Department
Police Department
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR:
Chuck Wexler
The Police Executive Research Forum is a nonprofit association of progressive police professionals dedicated to improving services to all our
communities. n Subject to Debate, published by the Police Executive Research Forum, welcomes input from PERF members and other interested
parties. Please submit articles, ideas and suggestions to Craig Fischer, PERF, 1120 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 930, Washington, D.C. 20036.
Phone: (202) 454-8332; fax: (202) 466-7826; e-mail: [email protected]. n Contributors’ opinions and statements do not necessarily
reflect the policies or positions of the Police Executive Research Forum. ISSN 1084-7316. n Subscription price: $35/year.
February 2009 Subject to Debate
7
Pre-Sorted
First Class
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 4889
Suburban, MD
SUBJECT TO DEBATE
1120 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Suite 930
Washington, DC 20036
INAUGURATION DAY 2009
Leadership, Security, and Logistics:
Challenges for Police Chiefs
page 1
U.S. Park Police:
Policing America’s Backyard
page 3
U.S. Capitol Police:
Ensuring the Peaceful Transition
of Power
Plan to Attend PERF’s
Annual Meeting
Tentative Agenda
page 4
page 7
Subject to Debate
is generously supported
by a grant from:
www.Motorola.com